President Joe Biden and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack visited the family farm of Jeff and Gina O’Connor in Kankakee, Illinois Wednesday to discuss new efforts to give farmers the tools and resources they need to boost domestic food production. Specifically, the actions include: Increase the number of counties eligible for double cropping insurance Cut costs for farmers by increasing …
Cargill RegenConnect Expands Program Eligibility
Enrollment opens this month for Cargill RegenConnect, a market-based regenerative agriculture program, which is expanding to 15 states For the 2022-23 crop season. Cargill has expanded grower eligibility to include Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas, Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Kentucky, North Dakota, and South Dakota. “In our first year, Cargill has received a tremendous response from growers …
ZeaKal and Perdue Agribusiness Work for Sustainable Poultry
Perdue AgriBusiness and ZeaKal have announced a multi-year development agreement to raise more sustainable poultry through improved soy genetics and feed quality. ZeaKal’s PhotoSeed® trait technology increases photosynthetic capacity, converting more carbon dioxide and sunlight into energy for the plant. In soybeans, this has consistently resulted in improved oil and protein content while improving the sustainability index of the crop. …
Agri-Pulse Plans 2022 Food & Ag Issues Summit West
In person or virtual options are available for the 2022 Agri-Pulse Food & Ag Issues Summit West, July 11 in Sacramento. Another year of western drought, supply chain disruptions, labor challenges and regulatory hurdles have prompted industry leaders to rethink how to adapt, transform and innovate in order to be resilient and stay in business. The 2022 Agri-Pulse Food & …
Agri-Pulse Newsmakers: EPA Administrator Regan
The latest episode of Agri-Pulse Newsmakers is out and the big news maker this week is EPA Administrator Michael Regan. The Biden administration is approaching a key deadline to publish annual volume targets for biofuel blending. There’s also the ongoing effort to redefine the definition of a Water of the U.S. and looming concerns about the loss of crop protection …
Rail Disruptions Impacting Ag and Biofuels
The Surface Transportation Board (STB) heard about how agricultural and biofuels producers are being impacted by rail service challenges during a two-day hearing last week. USDA Deputy Secretary Dr. Jewel Bronaugh told the board how rail disruptions are impacting farmers, ranchers and consumers. “Elevators are full and therefore cannot purchase more grain from farmers, and livestock operations are unable to …
Agri-Pulse Newsmakers Focuses on Cattle Hearings
The newest edition of Agri-Pulse Newsmakers is out and this week the focus is on cattle hearings and beef politics. The House and Senate Agriculture Committees both convened hearings to examine the beef sector this week. Now, Congress is left to determine its next steps and whether or not to pursue big reforms to the nation’s cattle sector. Newsmakers interviews …
NCBA President Testifies on Cattle Market Policies
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association NCBA President Don Schiefelbein of Minnesota testified before a House Agriculture Committee hearing Wednesday on cattle market policy issues. Schiefelbein urged House members to support key policies with broad, unified support across the entire cattle industry including a cattle contract library, Livestock Mandatory Reporting (LMR) reauthorization, and investments in small regional processing capacity expansion. “The only …
National Grange Recognizes Rural America Champions
The National Grange presented its 2022 Champion of Rural America Awards this week to four recipients who exemplify the mission of the family-focused organization founded in 1856. The 2022 Champions of Rural America are Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA), Sara Wyant, founder of Agri-Pulse Communications, and patient rights advocate Nona Bear. “This is one of the most …
Yara Establishes Potato Incubator Farm
Yara has established a Incubator Farm in the Columbia Basin of Washington with the goal of determining how a complete potato crop nutrition program that drives productivity and grower profitability can simultaneously lead to a reduced carbon footprint. The 260 acre trials will analyze the role of crop nutrition and practices such as 4R nutrient management in supporting the industry’s …